Ibe Van Bouchaute: On Stage with slimdan!
Ibe Van Bouchaute (better known to her friends as Mimi) is the kind of creative you want in your corner—a true visionary and stage designer who helps musicians turn abstract ideas into tangible, onstage moments. Originally working in photo and video for touring musicians, Mimi’s transition into stage design feels like a natural evolution: she’s someone who sees the whole picture. Her recent work with slimdan has allowed him to bring a new sense of DIY theatricality to his live show, from hand-cut letters strung across the stage to old TVs repurposed into nostalgic visual portals.
slimdan (better known to his friends as Danny) speaks highly of Mimi. He says, “Mimi is hands-down one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever come across. Her ability to take a small seed of an idea and flush it out into a full on project is unparalleled to anyone I’ve ever worked with before. Her willingness to not shoot down initial ideas that seem too far out or impossible, and her scrappiness and being able to bring them to life, has been a highlight of being an artist for me. I don’t know if I could’ve done my project without Mimi and I also don’t wanna know what it would be like to do without her. She is an integral part of what I do." - slimdan
We caught up with Mimi fresh off slimdan’s most recent tour to talk about collaboration, creative freedom, and what it takes to bring a live show to life.
Photos by Liana Glennon.
Mimi! Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. First of all — how did the slimdan tour go? How was the show at the Troubadour? That is such an iconic venue.
Hi Annie, Thank you so much for speaking with me!! The show at the Troubadour was incredible. I’ve been to quite a few slimdan shows now, but the energy at this one was just electric. Everyone was singing all the words. I hadn’t really seen this show outside of rehearsals, and it was even better than I thought it would be.
How did you meet Danny? When did you begin working as a creative director?
We met a little over a year ago, when I moved to the USA. I’ve always loved/worked on this intersection of art and music, spending the last three years of my life focussing on photo and video work for touring musicians. My interests grew and I wanted to be part of the bigger creative picture and I’m grateful for such inspiring people like Danny who I get to creatively riff with.
What made you decide to add in the element of stage design to slimdan’s most recent tour? When did you start planning for the shows?
We did a little bit of a stage design concept on slimdan’s opening tour for Remi Wolf last fall. I cut out about 140 letters and sent those with a washing line on tour with him. Danny was then able to customize a little sentence every show ‘Hi, My name is slimdan and …’ . It was hilarious. Then in January, Danny asked if we could put 6% more effort into the stage design, as this was his first headline show. I think we definitely took it a little further, haha!
How did you land on the TV screen concept?
The TV concept is all him. That was the starting point. Then it was just about finding ways to bring it alive.
What do you like most about working together?
The random FaceTimes I get at 8am, better than coffee.
I’ve been seeing more and more artists build really innovative and creative stage setups on both small and large stages. What are some stage designs / designers you’ve been inspired by?
Oooh, I often think back to the production design Feist had on her last tour. I hadn't seen anything like that in a while. Also my friend Rhianna Hajduch is currently creating stage design for Annie DiRusso, using sculptures and motion cameras. It’s a whole world. Genius.
Danny is always posting about his favorite LA burrito spots so I have to ask — do you have a favorite burrito spot?
I lived next to Doubting Thomas for a bit in Echo Park. Might be my favorite.
What are some of the biggest constraints you are working under when it comes to working on stage design for a tour?
Personally, the hardest thing is to let creativity not get crushed too early on by logistical restraints. There are always ways to figure out how to adjust a concept to a particular crew/venue size.
Are you working on anything else together currently / what’s up next for you both?
Maybe!!! Potentially!!! Who knows!!
Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow @twentyminuteslater for more! And listen to slimdan here.